Shropshire Referees Society AGM

Tackling the problem of recruitment will be a key talking point at tonight’s (FRI) annual meeting of the Shropshire Referees Society writes Malcolm Fletcher.

Members will gather at Meole Brace BC in Shrewsbury (7.30pm) with Louise Cotton standing in for unavailable secretary Shirley James.

And the thorny issue of encouraging bowlers to learn the rules of the game with a view to becoming qualified referees remains a big concern for the county body.

Chairman John Coxill and leading refs Mike Potter and Rob Ellison know that they have held seminars at venues all over the county in recent years but had few attend and even fewer then take the referees exam.

And that means they are now struggling to provide qualified officials at county and league events as their pool of available referees continues to drop.